Fresh water life, how long?

There is no generic answer as every water tank is different in age/condition.....water being used.....hot summer heat vs cooler weather/etc.

for us, we keep our potable water tank full. if not used, we drain every month and refill and not to mention, don't forget to run the water, hot and cold to replenish what is in the lines. For me, a full tank with chlorinated water is better than an empty tank. it lessens the potential for bacteria growth. Flush and fill regularly and and you will be fine. If you have a concern, add a little chlorine/ bleach, maybe a 1/4 of a cup to 50 gallons, run fixtures, let sit for 24 to 48 hours, flush it all out and refill, you should be good to go. as far as filling when you get there, where are you getting the water and what quality does it have. Your city water should meet drinking water standards. we travel with full tanks all the time, drink it and use it for cooling and everything just like we are in our block home in the concrete jungle. Good Luck & Be Safe ! ! !

Cleanliness is next to Godliness. A clean(sanitized) tank with clorinated water will last a long, long time. I once traveled in a vessel and we had never changed the water in the tank since it was filled. As stated, the water doesn't go bad, things may grow in the tank and the gasses in the water will gas off giving it a old, musty taste but it can be very safe for years.

Our emergency water storage at home is in 55 gallon blue food grade drums with a couple of tablespoons of chlorine added and we usually wait three or four years to change. When we do change the water, we use it for irrigation around the house.

You may want to add Drinking Water Freshener that prevents algae and slime from forming in the tank. Walmart and Amazon sell it for under $5 a bottle.

Weather or not you believe it is the water or the bottle, emergency management stations that maintain bottled water for emergency situations must discard and replenish upon expiration dates.
That being said I keep water in my tank year round and only refresh if more than 4 months.

Not disputing others but I drain, sanitize and refill monthly.

While the water in the tank might be good for a while water in the water heater gets a odor if it sits for a couple of weeks.

I don't have any hard and fast rule, but if it's been more than a couple of months I just pull the drain valve and refill. Also I don't fill the tank until shortly before the trip, so whatever is in there is going to get a shot of chlorine with the new water.

Less than a couple of months, I just top it off an go.

As far as leaching chems, the plastic in water bottles versus the plastic tank, hoses, fittings? What makes us think one is any better than the other? We keep flats of bottles for years at a time without any concern or noticeable taste change. The difference with a fresh water RV tank is a bit of air flow in/out, and the longer that sits, the more likely that taste may be altered.

BTW, as far as the chlorine in the water, it is dissipated within hours or days. It has already done its job and from that point isn't going to be a factor.

Jimbee wrote:
Hey All,

Any idea how long fresh water stays usable after topping off the tank with chlorinated public water? 2 days? 2 weeks? Longer? I just sanitized the system and I'm getting ready to head out for 5 days of dry camping. Gonna bring the water jugs and top off as needed. Is filling the tank ahead of time what most of you do, or do you wait until the morning you leave to fill up the tank?

Thanks

FWIW, since we like to 'dock in the mountains, I do my best to carry minimal fresh water. I stop about 30 miles from my usual destination to "water down" which means only one long (mostly) climb, from about 4k' to 7k'. I figure it saves me a few bucks in fuel and the water tastes a whole lot better, if you have to drink it, than our city water. :B

Lyle

Birdnst wrote:
Bottled water will not last forever, it has expiration dates on it.

Me thinks, because that is the expected shelf-life of the container. After a certain length of time the container itself begins to degrade. There-in is the reason for the expiration date. Water lasts forever, it's the non-water stuff in it that makes it distasteful or bad for human consumption.

Here to cite only 1 of many sources.


"Although water, in and of itself, does not go bad, the plastic bottle it is contained in does "expire," and will eventually start leaching chemicals into the water. This won't necessarily render the water toxic, but it might make it taste somewhat less than "mountain spring fresh." If consumers contact drink companies to complain that water they bought several years earlier tastes bad, the bottlers can point out that it's their own fault for not drinking it by the expiration date."

Which brings up another check-mark for draining the water from your fresh water tank rather than letting the water sit for a great length of time and absorb chemicals from the plastic tank, unless you drain it and refill it. No, if it sits in the tank for a month it's not going to hurt you, but the possibility of the plastic chemicals leaching from the tank into the water is a real possibility. Thus the need to occasionally sanitize.